Heading To Florida in 2026 - New Years Resolution - Advice ?

[spadaforaj]

Well - retirement is finally hear and part of 2026 will be moving our 2004 Hunter 41 from the northern Chesapeake bay to Florida 9 for alittle while) near Port Orange - probably Halifax Marina). 2026 is getting there - 2027 will be Keys and or Bahamas) Planning in the fall in general, and wondering several things:

a) Although its weather dependent, how much time should we allocate ?
- Will likely have to do the ICW based on the crew, with perhaps a few daytime legs inlet to inlet on the outside. Cruising speed about 4.5-5 kts at a comfortable - engine speed, realize some legs can be under sail, aloth noton the ICW.
b) Airdraft 44 feet and draft 5.5 ft - so around Roanoke island and the Virginia cut
c) No heat - so timing important - don't want to start too late
d) Some tourist stops planned - (need to see Charlestown, Savanna, stop off in our old home of Oriental), only stopping where need to along the Chesapeake
d) Based on hurricane season, temperature and, of course, insurance - when would be a good time in the fall or late summer to start this adventure ?
e) Trying to be on the hook and or mooring balls (or free docks) whenever we can.

I'm sure so many have done this before, so looking for general guidelines or advise

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Do a ton of research on the laws regarding how many days a boat and its occupants can be on a boat in a given time period. A lot of counties are unfairly cracking down

 

[dlochner]

We have done the trip down the ICW twice in recent years.

The best charts are from Aquamaps and run on a tablet, phone, or a MacBook with a M1 or later chip. The program is affordable and pretty easy to use once you learn the basics. User support is outstanding. For the ICW the most important feature is the ACE depth soundings in areas known for shoaling. The program can also access weather information, Active Captain, Waterway Guide, and puts NOTMs on the chart. An excellent product.

In general we covered 40-50 SM a day, that usually ended up being an 8 hour day from anchor up to anchor down. Do remember the ICW is measured in statue miles which are ~15% shorter than nautical miles.

Consider the Dismal Swamp Canal instead of the Virgina Cut. It is beautiful especially in the fall. There are several places to dock, including the RT 17 Visitors' Center where the custom is to raft up as deep as necessary. About a day's run from the Visitor's Center is Lamb's Marina. This is a funky rural marina. We holed up there for several days during a bout of bad weather.

Elizabeth City has 2 places to dock for free, one at college on the outskirts and the town dock. There is a very nice maritime museum in town and a collection of good restaurants.

The marina at the bridge over the Alligator River is currently closed as it is a staging ground for the construction of the new bridge. By the time you get there the construction may be over.

Just before you enter the canal portion of the Alligator-Pungo canal the river bends off to the right. Go up the river and find a spot to anchor. It quiet and serene.

Bellhaven is a nice town to visit. There is plenty of anchoring space, it is well protected, and there is a free dinghy dock. Groceries are available, but it is a long walk. There is an outstanding hardware store and many great restaurants.

Southport is another town worth a visit. There is a large marina with laundry and showers. A short walk into town will yield good restaurants and interesting shops.

The Wacamaw River is one of my favorite sections. There are many creeks in which to anchor. The scenery is beautiful and it has a real wilderness feel to it. There are a few marinas along the way, most are pretty well hidden up a creek.

Leaving Charleston and going through Elliot Cut do pay attention to tides and currents. There is a short narrow section where currents can reach 5 knots.

Savanah is a fun city, but not so much if traveling by boat. There is dockage available downtown on the waterfront, however the river is busy and there are many ships that pass. I'm told the docks can be bouncy. Outside of town there are several marinas, but access to Downtown requires a car, infrequent bus, or taxi/uber.

At the GA/FL border is Cumberland Island which is a National Park accessible only by boat. The beach is magnificent and there are trails to walk or ride on. The island is heavily forested with live oak trees draped in Spanish Moss. It is both beautiful and eerie. The stars of the island are the wild horses and armadillos.

St Augustine is a good stop. It can be a bit touristy there are interesting sites to see and allegedly the Fountain of Youth is there. There is a large mooring field and marina run by the city. Across the river is the Marker 8 Marina and Motel. We stayed there for about a month on one trip. It is a short walk across the bridge to downtown which places it out of the mainstream and crowds. Nice facilities. When we were there they had a daily happy hour with free food. Guess where we ate most nights.

Daytona surprised us. We expected the typical beach town craziness, and were surprised by Old Town Daytona. The municipal marina is large and well managed. It is a short walk into Old Town and the shops and restaurants.

Visit Vero Beach (aka Velcro Beach) at your own risk. We have stopped there several times and always end up staying longer than expected. This is primarily a very well protected mooring field where rafting is the norm. Bus service is free and it stops at the marina.

Enjoy the trip and feel free to ask questions. This is only a few highlights.

 

[dLj]

Become a member of ICW Cruising Bob423 on Facebook. Download the bob423 long tracks. I found them to excellent.

I'd get my autopilot setup to run the bob423 long tracks through your navigation system.

For me my favorite aspect were beautiful remote coves with no one around. It's not a fast trip. And if suggest to take it as slow as you are able.

dj

 

[shemandr]

I agree. Don't focus on the destination - Florida. A trip down the ICW is really a tour of the eastern seaboard.
We did it on a powerboat that could cruise at 20 knots - but often didn't because of mechanical problems. 17 days! I don't think I would care to do it much faster.

 

[dmax]

I would think your air draft is over 60' - my 35 had an air draft of 48'.

 

[jssailem]

You've sailed the waters before. They have likely changed, but not greatly. Probably shifted sandbars and maybe a food stop new or an old favorite is gone.

Since you plan to be sailing in your "golden years", I would encourage you to become a student of the weather. Late summer and into fall is the Hurricane season. In 2025, no major storms hit the East Coast. This will not always occur. Some forecasted events would have caused a period of uncomfortable boating. Gaining knowledge of the big weather picture and then the effects on your ever-changing local area will be important on your journey.

Having an Apple hardware suite, I can use the LuckGrib app to help me know what is coming and how it will affect my sailing.

While you are still in your current home, I would start looking at and charting the weather over the route you intend to go.

Sail with an adaptive mindset. You can go on the next leg of your journey, but you do not have to go today. Plan a couple of alternatives to your ideal anchorage. When you arrive, the primary site may be occupied, totally trashed, or the winds and currents may not be conducive to a restful experience.

Test your gear before leaving your home marina. Practice the recovery of crew members in safe waters. When heading out on a major passage, do so with tested tools, not brand new hardware.

When I retired, a close friend shared an important meme. "Remember when your former associates call seeking your opinion about work... NMP. This is Not My Problem!"

You will have a terrific adventure sailing down the East Coast to warm waters and trade wind breezes.

Fair winds and pleasant following seas.

 

[dlochner]

I would think your air draft is over 60' - my 35 had an air draft of 48'.

SailboatData.com says air draft is 62' or 63' and draft is 6.5' for the Hunter 41 models. Both air and water drafts are doable on the ICW, however, there are a few choke points where it will be very important to pay attention to the water levels. Your antenna will likely ping on one or more bridges.

Southbound the first bridge to be concerned with is the Pungo Ferry bridge between Great Bridges Lock and Coinjock. The clearance is about 64' depending on the water level. Water level in the NC sounds is wind driven, you'll want to go through when there is a north wind as it will blow the water south and lower the level.

The second bridge to worry about is on the Alligator-Pungo canal, the Wilkerson Bridge. Its clearance is only 64' or less depending on the water level. Again water level is dependent on the wind.

The alternative to these 2 bridges is go around Cape Hatteras or go through Pamlico Sound where water draft can be an issue. There is still the Pungo Ferry Bridge to deal with when going through the sound.

With a 6.5' draft the Dismal Swamp Canal is real iffy because of submerged logs.

 

[dLj]

@dlochner isn't there a shoal draft version of the 41? If @spadaforaj has the shoal draft version that would make running the ICW easier. I have no idea if there was a change of mast height between the fin keel and the shoal draft keel.

I can say before I ran the section of ICW that I ran, I measured my air draft. I wasn't taking any chances and figured whatever the published air draft was - I was going to know what mine was. It takes a bit of fanaglin' to do the measurement but for me it was very much worth the peace of mind knowing what my air draft is. Depth I already knew well.

dj

 

[dlochner]

@dlochner isn't there a shoal draft version of the 41? If @spadaforaj has the shoal draft version that would make running the ICW easier. I have no idea if there was a change of mast height between the fin keel and the shoal draft keel.

I can say before I ran the section of ICW that I ran, I measured my air draft. I wasn't taking any chances and figured whatever the published air draft was - I was going to know what mine was. It takes a bit of fanaglin' to do the measurement but for me it was very much worth the peace of mind knowing what my air draft is. Depth I already knew well.

dj

Yes there is a shoal draft, I missed the fine print. At 5' it would fine for the ICW.

I haven't measured our air draft as Sabre lists it as being 53' which seems about right. The mast is 54' and steps about a foot below the waterline.

 

[dLj]

Yes there is a shoal draft, I missed the fine print. At 5' it would fine for the ICW.

I haven't measured our air draft as Sabre lists it as being 53' which seems about right. The mast is 54' and steps about a foot below the waterline.

In any case, the numbers listed by @spadaforaj don't seem to match the numbers on sailboat data for that boat. It would be useful to know if he does have the shoal draft boat or not.

I measured mine because I can't find air draft numbers and was told when I bought the boat the air draft was something like 63 or 64 feet - I don't remember now which, so I wanted to know, including my antenna. With as much clearance as you have, I wouldn't have measured that boat either.

dj

 

[JamesG161]

2004 Hunter 41

Jim...

 

[dLj]

Yeah, this is the part I find most interesting....

OP says: "Airdraft 44 feet and draft 5.5 ft"

Sailboat data says: "Mast Height from DWL 62.83 ft. and Shoal draft 5ft, standard draft 6.5 ft.
Your table agrees with Sailboat data.

How is there such a discrepancy between what the tables say and the OP says?

On a 41 foot boat - I'd be pretty skeptical of the 44 feet air draft number... But if numbers said my mast height might be roughly 63 feet - I'd measure my mast height. What's the height to the top of the antennas up there???

Any draft below 6 feet is ICW friendly... 6 feet gets right on the edge - that's what I have...

dj

 

[smokey73]

I'd skip Savannah unless you just want to visit there. It is a cool town to visit but a bit of a side-trip up the river to where you can dock. There is no where to anchor as it is a major shipping port for container ships. It is one of the biggest ports on the East Coast and the river is relatively narrow so you can imagine the potential for being tossed around. There is limited docking on the city side of the river but there is a marina on the opposite side with shuttle ferry that takes people from one side to the other.

I'd opt for Beaufort SC. It is right on the ICW and the city docks are right at the downtown - just yards from restaurants and a nice walking historic district. You can also anchor not too far from the city marina and there may even be transient mooring balls (haven't checked on that in awhile)